Share This Story!

Businesses cash in on Pokemon craze

If you’re not running into the virtual monsters you’re probably running into news about the wildly popular game from which they came, Pokémon Go. It seems a day hasn’t gone by since it launched July 6 that ther

If you’re not running into the virtual monsters, you’re probably running into news about the wildly popular game from which they came, Pokémon Go. It seems a day hasn’t gone by since it launched July 6 that there isn’t some sort of national news story about the smartphone game.

According to SimilarWeb, which analyzes apps, Pokémon Go has more active daily users on Android phones than Twitter.

And the app is getting a ton of usage: As of July 8, the game was being played for an average of about 43 minutes a day, according to SimilarWeb; higher than Whatsapp, Instagram, Snapchat and Messenger.

This is good news for the game’s maker: Shares in Nintendo closed up 14 percent at 31,700 yen ($300) on the Tokyo Stock exchange Tuesday and have more than doubled in value since the wildly popular augmented-reality game was released, the Associated Press reports.

And because Pokémon Go players have to get out of the house and walk around to play, businesses have been taking advantage of the foot traffic.

Business at Crazy Sweet, a candy shop in Appleton, Wisconsin, has doubled in the days since the game was released, according to USA Today. The owner put a sign out front letting players know they’re welcome.

“People come in with their phones and I ask them if they’re playing it and they say, ‘Yep!’,” owner Mary Kelley said. “Maybe they’ll buy something when they come in,” she explained.

Pokémon boosted business at a pizza shop in Queens, New York by 75 percent, the manager told the New York Post, after he paid $10 to have a dozen of the Pokémon characters lured to the store. It drew in so many players, the shop’s business went up 75 percent.

In order to capitalize on the craze, it’s best to understand it. Here are some stories to get you started: